Rowan Zheldak
Appearance F A B U L O U S. No, really, although Rowan identifies as male, people mistake him for being a woman quite a bit. His androgyny doesn't bother him all that much. In fact, he rather likes being called things like pretty and beautiful. He's quite vain and likes to dress in a fanciful manner, although he does more window shopping than actual clothes buying. Personality Proud and observant, Rowan knows that he has to put his money where his mouth is. After years of being enslaved to an Imperium magister, Rowan is now taking full advantage of being free. There's nothing more satisfying than to eat the food you want to eat, wear the clothes you want to wear, and go to wherever the hell you want to go. He's certainly not a free spirit, but he's soaking in the feelings he didn't think were possible to feel while he can. Rowan may look pretty, but he's certainly not a very cuddly man. It takes him a long, long time to trust anyone. He'll mention his past idly if you're a friend, but he certainly doesn't respond well to pity or sympathy. In fact, many people are put off by him questioning their kind gestures. He'll be polite where politeness is due, but it's hard to get past his facade of vanity and coldness unless you really, really don't mind being called rude names. It’s not that he doesn’t want sympathy—or friends for that matter—he’s just very much used to people being not so friendly. When I say he's vain, I mean it. Rowan is horrendously vain and relies on his looks to get him from once place to another. He'll whore himself out if it means getting the pretty tunic he wants. Hell, he'll whore himself out for a home cooked meal if he doesn't have the coin for it. It's not something he's proud of, but the devil's in the details and he tries not to read into things too much. To him, sex is merely a tool to get what one wants. To hell with all the romantic stereotypes many people associate with it. As far as killing goes, Rowan wouldn't be an assassin if he didn't enjoy killing. For example, his first kill was his master, and boy did that make him grin like a kid in a candy store when the man's blood was splattered across his face. He'll kill a magister in an instant and definitely doesn't have a problem with killing those that decide to cross him. He does, however, dislike killing innocent people. His moral compass may be small, but there's something that makes him feel very guilty when he is forced to kill witnesses of his killings. So, no, he's not a psychopathic killer, but he does get his kicks out of killing those that piss him off. As far as love goes, Rowan handles it very awkwardly, kind of like how squeamish people would handle a pile of brains. Love isn't foreign to him, as he can remember his mother's love quite well. However, there's a large difference between the love of a mother and child and romantic feelings. So far, Rowan hasn't met anyone that even lit a spark in his so called heart, never mind actually meeting someone that made hearts appear in his eyes. Needless to say, he'll be very protective of those he cares for, but they might not get a very positive response if they get all mushy on him. It's something he hasn't come across in a long, long time and it's something he doesn't know how to express. In a nutshell, Rowan is a man full of contradictions. He hates magisters with a passion, but he certainly only kills the ones that cross his path. He likes having full control of himself, but he likes to drink away his troubles. Rowan's more than a little fucked in the head, but he's a nice guy at heart. As long as you don't come in between him and his freedom, he'll be polite enough, especially if it means getting some coin in the process. Biography Rowan grew up with his mother in Tevinter. Long before he was born, his mother was enslaved to a magister called Marshall. As a boy he did small tasks for he magister, such as running errands and cleaning the toilets. However, as he grew older his time in Tevinter became far less pleasant. Although his father taught him how to fight at a young age, his mother kept it a well hidden secret from their master. When he was fifteen years old, his mother was killed by some thugs on the way back from fetching some bread and vegetables. A small funeral was held by the other servants of Marshall. Depressed, Rowan slacked in his work for a few days and was beaten severely because of it. Whenever his father was able to, he had a tendency to drink himself into a drunken stupor. However, something inside of the man broke when he was forced to watch his son be beaten. In a rage, he jumped in and attempted to protect his son. In the end the man brought upon his own death by the hands of his master. Rowan, horrified by what his father had done, was forced to watch him be burnt to death. In the end his father had acted as a free man and perished. Marshall used him as an example for the other slaves, a fair warning for any that wished to act 'freely' and do as they wished. By the age of seventeen, Rowan had become quite the pretty young man. He was one Marshall's most trusted servants and would help his master preform his experiments. Besides helping him in rituals, Marshall forced Rowan into aiding him in more 'pleasurable' activities. This, in general, is what drove Rowan to want to escape from his master. Around his eighteenth year Rowan began planning what would be his great escape. Over the years he had practiced his fighting in secret, but now his mind was moving to darker options. He began sneaking out to practice the art late in the evenings, especially when he knew that his master would be away on business. Seven years later Rowan finally found the perfect opportunity to kill his master. Marshall was rather ill and had entrusted Rowan with staying by his side during his long night of writhing and feverish talk. One night, Rowan poisoned the man to ensure his death. After, he stabbed him multiple times and set the body aflame, blood lust controlling most of his prior actions. After killing Marshall, Rowan fled Tevinter and vowed to never go back there again. For years he traveled around Thedas, making money where he could and exploring beautiful places he never could have imagined existed. It's his dream to someday be considered respectable, but he knows that's an unlikely dream considering his ethnicity. Usually, he wears his hair down in towns so that he can hide his ears, one of the features that have haunted him since birth. At one point Rowan hired a dwarf lurking about in Lowtown to teach him the art of being a Berserker. As far as Rowan was concerned, he had a lot of pent up rage that could be put to good use if he honed his skills. Recognizing that the man had talent, the dwarf agreed to teach him for a price. Rowan spent a decent sum of coin on becoming a Berserker, but he hardly regrets it. It gave his anger and bitterness a place where it could flourish and be put to good use. Timeline Relationships Category:Character Index Category:Original Characters Category:Mercenaries Category:Tevinters